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R-04-25 <br /> <br />A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE RESTORATION OF FULL FUNDING <br />FOR THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE GREAT DISMAL <br />SWAMP CANAL. <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, the President's proposed 2005 budget will cut federal funding to the <br />Army Corps of Engineers for operation and maintenance of the Great Dismal Swamp <br />Canal from a five-year average orS1,100,000 to $435,000; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, with this drastic cut in funds, the Army Corps cannot continue to <br />clear debris from the channel and operate the locks that allow thousands of large boats to <br />pass through the Canal each year; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, the Gmat Dismal Swamp Canal, which is the oldest continuously <br />operating canal in the United States and is the western branch of the Intracoastal <br />Waterway, is a very important historical and ecological landmark and has been placed on <br />the National Register of Historic Places; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, the Canal is also very important in flood control in the City of <br />Chesapeake and northeastern North Carolina, as has been clearly demonstrated during <br />Hurricanes Floyd in 1999 and Isabel in 2003; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, in addition to flood control, the Canal is also valuable for <br />recreation, boat traffic, and tourism, and will be a valuable toot to boost the economy; <br /> <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of <br />Portsmouth, Virginia, that it hereby requests the United States Congress to restore full <br />funding to the Army Corps of Engineers for the operation and maintenance of the Gmat <br />Dismal Swamp Canal in order to maintain the current level of usefulness of this vital <br />historic and ecological landmark. <br /> <br /> <br />